In May this year we saw the end of the transitionary rules and the full introduction & application of the
Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), the latest version of regulations that cover
both tobacco products and e-cigarettes. The regulations debuted to concern and
discontent across much of the vaping community, with particular regulations
being singled out as illogical and potentially damaging to the harm reduction
potential of vaping. However, many also recognised the need for industry
regulation from a consumer health and safety point of view, so reactions to the
regulations have been mixed - to say the least!

Now the TPD has been in full effect for three
months we wanted to check back in and take a look at how the regulations have
(or haven’t) changed the vaping landscape so far.

What are the Regulations?

In case you’re new to vaping or missed the news
first time around, here is a brief reminder of the main regulations vaping
brands and vapers have been adhering to since May ’17:

A maximum nicotine strength of 2%

A maximum e-liquid bottle size of 10ml

A maximum cartomiser/cartridge size of 2ml

Consistent nicotine delivery

Compulsory child-resistant caps

In light of the TPD regulations there were a few
changes to the V2 line up, highlighted
here, and we went into further detail
about the TPD itself
here.

As we said in a previous post, many e-cigarette
brands were already selling TPD-compliant products (safety-wise) before the
regulations were introduced. For example, we already ensured that our products
contained child-resistant caps well before the May ’17 deadline. The main
changes we did make included retiring our previous 2.4% e-liquid strength and
removing our larger bottles of e liquid from sale.

Your Opinions

Part of the community we want to create for our
customers is a space where you can stay up to date with all the latest vaping
news, as well as finding out about new vaping products, sharing tips and
discussing issues and questions that arise from the world of vaping. So, of
course, we’ve been covering any big news stories about the TPD to hear your
opinions and find out what the vaping community thinks about the regulations.

By and large, the consumer side of the vaping
community leans towards the negative when it comes to the TPD. Baffling
restrictions about bottle sizes and limiting nicotine strengths were cited as
the most common struggles vapers had to get used to after the regulations came
into effect.

As part of our weekly Twitter polls we asked you
if you thought the TPD regulations would impact the way you vape. The results
were:

No - 43%

Yes - 35%

I’m not sure yet - 22%

As you can see, an interesting mix. We’ll be
running another poll shortly to find out whether or not the regulations have
made a difference to the way you vape, so stay tuned for that on
Twitter.

The TPD in the News

Of course, the TPD has featured heavily in news
stories concerning vaping, so we’ve picked out four of the main stories that
have been covered by vaping news repository,
Vaping Post,
over the past three months. While there are many other stories in circulation,
these four cover the main headlines:

In May the initial reactions to the TPD
began flooding in. As predicted, it was mostly doom and gloom, with the
regulations often referred to as ‘stifling’ and ‘off-putting’.

The dust began to settle at the beginning of June but the negative reaction to the TPD
pressed on, with many news outlets reporting the ‘wildly unpopular’ TPD was
already being chalked up as a failure. The suggestion at this point was that
the TPD may be revised by the EU as soon as 2019 or 2020, though there has been
no official news or statement on this.

Later on in June there was more bad news for the TPD,
with news stories slamming it as ‘unscientific and potentially dangerous’.
Things were looking up in the UK though, as our government took a light
approach to the regulations, in keeping with their usually encouraging attitude
towards e-cigarettes and harm reduction.

The latest headline to hit the news came just a
few weeks ago in
July, when the Tobacco Control Plan for
England was released, outlining plans for a ‘smoke free’ England. The plan
contains measures to reduce smoking rates to 12% or less by 2022, down from the
current 15.5%. Hearteningly, the plan does reference e-cigarettes as a form of
harm reduction and it’s been wonderful to see the potential benefits of
switching to vaping acknowledged by the government. We look forward to seeing
how the Tobacco Control Plan is put into place, and how this intersects with
the TPD.

*

We might only be three months into regulations
under the TPD but a lot has happened in a matter of weeks! We’ll continue to
share any prevalent news on our social media channels and we’ll check back in
in a few months time with another TPD update. In the mean time, if you have any
questions about the TPD or more general queries about vaping please don’t
hesitate to
get in touch with our friendly team
today.

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YOU MUST BE OVER THE AGE OF 18 YEARS TO BUY AND/ OR USE ANY VAPOUR2 OR V2 E-CIGS PRODUCT. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance derived from the tobacco plant, and V2 e-Cigs are not a cessation device. The products on this website do not treat, diagnose, or cure any disease, physical ailment, or condition and should not be used by anyone in conflict with applicable local law. If you are allergic to nicotine, propylene glycol or any combination of inhalants, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have a heart-condition, diabetes, high blood pressure or asthma, you should consult your doctor before using Vapour2 nicotine products. E-liquid should not be swallowed, seek medical help if this occurs. Wash with warm soapy water if e liquid skin contact occurs. Lifetime warranty on batteries only applies in the USA.